


Sessions: From the Files of Dr. Elliot Marrin

by anissa7118, kalalanekent



Series: Little Secrets AU [39]
Category: Superman (Christopher Reeve Movies), Superman - All Media Types, Superman Returns (2006)
Genre: Gen, Slice of Life, The Kents go the therapy basically
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-03
Updated: 2019-02-03
Packaged: 2019-10-21 10:33:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 21,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17641112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anissa7118/pseuds/anissa7118, https://archiveofourown.org/users/kalalanekent/pseuds/kalalanekent
Summary: After the events of Heirs to the House of El, the entire family admits they need counseling.  Luckily Lois knows a shrink who specializes in families.  Now, getting everyone to be honest enough for therapy to be useful, when they all have a Really Big Secret to keep,thatmight be interesting.Everyone in the LS-verse knows Dr. Marrin. Celebrated child psychologist. Lois Lane's analytical ex. In the aftermath of 'Heirs', who do you turn to but the best for the kids? Even if it means turning the spotlight on the whole family at the same time.





	1. The Intrepid Ex

In all the years he’d known her – in the Biblical sense and otherwise – Dr. Elliot Marrin had never seen Lois Lane in his treatment office. The outer office, yes, where she had brought her traumatized children to him, and his home office, back in the days when they were dating, but she’d never crossed that last threshold into the comfortably furnished room where he actually worked.

It had never stopped him from evaluating her in all of their interactions. Elliot was keenly aware that his own greatest shortcoming was his inability to turn off his analytical mind. He could never simply enjoy a moment without thinking of its ramifications, except in very special circumstances. It had been that inability to stop treating her like a case that had ended his relationship with Lois – many times over, in fact. Elliot knew that just as well as he knew the reason why they’d continued to get back together after every breakup: no other man understood Lois as well as he did. She hated that, hated knowing that he knew where her vulnerabilities lay, hated knowing that her façade of aggression was transparent to him. Yet at the same time he was the only man in her life then who could withstand her at her most irascible, since he generally knew _why_ she behaved that way.

Their time together had been tumultuous, almost combative, but both of them had enjoyed the challenge the other represented. She’d been good for him, and he liked to think he had been good for her as well. It had even ended fairly well, by his standards; while they were never casual friends as he would’ve liked to be, they had both moved on in the world without any new psychological scars, and hopefully with fewer old ones.

When he’d seen her again, the day she brought the twins to him, Elliot had been delighted. He had followed Lois’ career with interest, knew she was doing well for herself. The revelation that she’d borne a set of twins was surprising, but he was utterly unsurprised by her devotion and dedication as a parent. She’d had one very good example and one rather poor one, so Lois knew both what to do and what _never_ to do. It also failed to surprise him that Jason and Kala were inquisitive, smart, well-adjusted children. Elliot expected nothing less of Lois’ offspring.

They had experienced a terrible shock when they were six, and so had their mother, but Elliot was glad to see that none of them took permanent harm from it. Over the past ten years he’d gone from seeing the twins weekly, to monthly, to quarterly. He had been aware of the rift developing between Lois and Kala, but both Lane-Kent women required delicate handling with such subjects as developing one’s identity and acquiring parental pride and approval, so he hadn’t had a chance to explore it in depth.

Recently sixteen-year-old Kala had been kidnapped and held captive for several days, which had to have reawakened old fears, and Jason had been badly shaken by nearly losing his twin. Both of them were scheduled for biweekly visits to help process that trauma. In their first sessions, Elliot had quickly discovered that more was going on than he’d previously suspected, and he insisted on seeing the parents as well: all four of them. Lois had protested that he was a _child_ psychiatrist, to which he’d countered with the sign outside his office that read “Dr. Elliot Marrin, Family Psychiatry.”

And now she was here, surly and reluctant, stalking into his treatment office as he held the door for her. Lois glanced at the stereotypical couch with a smirk, but seated herself in the overstuffed leather chair instead, crossing her legs at the knee. She started to cross her arms but dropped them to the chair arms instead.

Elliot needed no case file for Lois. He had known her very well during her young adulthood, followed her career, and treated her children. Therefore he knew her as well as anyone. He hid a smile, knowing that she knew the crossed arms were a defensive posture and that he would notice it. She probably expected him to remark on it, so he didn’t, leaving her to speak first. “We both know why I’m here, Elliot. Let’s just get it over with.”

All of her armor was up, and unless he could do something about her defensiveness this would prove to be an exhausting and unprofitable session. So Elliot hooked his foot around the leg of the couch, turned it slightly, and sat down on it facing Lois’ chair instead of taking his usual seat on the other side of the desk. She looked startled; good, he needed her off balance.

For a long moment Elliot simply looked at Lois appraisingly. She hated that calculating stare, as he well knew; Lois loathed any attempt to understand her. She had a deep fear of being judged, and cultivated an air of mystery as well as a façade of enormous confidence to prevent people from trying to figure her out. Better, to her mind, to think of her as difficult than to think of her defective.

When she was at the optimal point of being disturbed by his attention but not yet truly angry, opening her mouth to speak, Elliot fired his opening salvo. “You know why you’re here, Lois. You’ve changed over the past twenty years, and to effectively treat your children I need to understand their environment and primary influences. Also, since I’m a family therapist, I’m concerned with the strength of your friendship with the twins’ stepparents and especially the health of your marriage.”

That delicate jaw clenched. Her back was absolutely rigid as she stared him down, but Elliot didn’t stop. “Now, considering the twenty-odd years I’ve known you, I’m quite familiar with your personality at a very basic level, the things that simply don’t change. For example, your defensiveness. You were a fairly lonely young woman when I first met you, largely because you refused to allow anyone to come close enough to you to develop a lasting relationship. You were too terribly proud of your independence to admit to needing such a thing as companionship. Further, it wasn’t enough for you to be a beautiful, brilliant woman; you had to be _the_ woman, the one everyone desired and no one could have, and even that wasn’t enough. Then you had to compete with men at all their games: martial arts, drinking, guns, fast cars, proving yourself better than any man.”

Again, those eyes sparked barely-banked temper. Elliot continued on with no regard of the fact that she had opened her mouth to speak again. “Your defensiveness has shaped everything you do. You were reluctant to come here, to admit that you might be human, that you might make mistakes, that you might benefit from a little professional assistance in sorting out your life. You were afraid to admit that maybe your cherished independence and your cultivated aggression might make you very difficult to live with, might make for a rather trying marriage. Why? Because after all these years, you’re _still_ proving yourself to your father, still refusing to admit to anything that smacks of weakness because it might mean he was always right about you, that you were born a disappointment and will always be one.”

Those were the harshest and most truthful words she’d ever heard; Elliot could see her pupils dilating, every muscle tensed ready to punch him or flee. No one had ever dared hold such a pitiless mirror up to her face. At that moment, while Lois was frozen in shock, Elliot delivered the shattering blow. “In spite of that, or perhaps because of it, you are the best mother, the best _parent_ I have ever seen in all my years as a professional psychiatrist.”

Oh, the way those eyes widened at that. He had succeeded in his plan and he had to hide a smile. Lois coughed then, blinking and looking away from him. It was as if he’d literally sucker-punched her. Elliot leaned forward without another word, took the box of tissues off his desk, and handed it to her. “Your father was wrong, Lois. I think we both know that. Nothing infuriates me more than to see parents twist their children up into little knots of misery. Sometimes it happens out of sheer ignorance; sometimes even the best parents have trouble with their kids because of personality conflicts, or because some kids simply _are_ difficult; but what your father did to you was absolutely, unequivocally, inexcusably _wrong._ He was, in my professional opinion, an utter jackass.”

Lois still wasn’t looking at him, was silent for a beat, and then, “You didn’t know him, Elliot.”

“I know him by the stamp he left on you,” Elliot countered. “You aren’t perfect, Lois. No one is. No matter how hard you try to be everything you think you’re not. But you do your best, and you’ve _always_ done the best you could. Most especially in the case of those children. I don’t know many who could’ve gone through everything the twins did in their sixth year, with kidnapping and threats and parental relationship drama on top of it all, and still managed to come out as well-adjusted as Jason and Kala are. That’s a credit to you, Lois. You’ve been there for them since the moment they were born, even though you never wanted children in the slightest.” That had her looking up at him again, stricken and a little guilty before he went on, “And they never guessed that, have they? All they know is that you support them a hundred percent.”

That got under her skin enough that Lois slouched back in her chair, seeming lost in thought. “I don’t know about that. Kala seemed to doubt it a lot in the last couple years,” she said finally, sighing.

“Kala is a teenage girl with a keen sense of drama. I’m fairly well-equipped to know that,” Elliot replied with a small smile. “She’ll be fine as soon as she moves out, Lois. Right now she’s too busy comparing herself to her parents and falling short of the mark. Once she’s living on her own she’ll have too many other concerns to distract her from that futile task.”

“No wonder we’re getting along since Nevada, then. She’s certainly got a lot on her mind right now.” That guilt flashed across Lois’ face then, and he knew it needled that she hadn’t been able to protect her daughter.

“It wasn’t your fault she ran away, Lois. In fact Kala herself tells me the deciding factor was a rumor spread by Jason’s then-girlfriend, the one who was a spy for Luthor. Lay the blame where it belongs – on him.”

“No, Elliot, I shouldn’t have hit her. I don’t know what the hell was going through my mind. I just lost it for second, lost control of the situation…” Lois couldn’t look him in the eye to say that, her hands knotted around each other.

“No, you shouldn’t have hit her. But it wasn’t the end of the world, Lois, and Kala wasn’t harmed by it.” Elliot leaned forward and took Lois’ hands between his own, something he normally didn’t do with clients. She looked up, startled and wary, but he kept his gaze completely professional. “You _cannot_ protect them every moment of every day, Lois. You cannot foresee every danger and defend against it before it happens. You cannot follow them at every step and shield them against all the troubles of this world. It does not matter how hard you try. They are not babies you can hide away any longer. What you _can_ do, and have done, is give them the strength and the courage to face the world on their own.”

Lois’ gaze held his for a long moment, and Elliot let her. She’d stop once she felt she had the reins again. Her world righted again. Finally she said, raising an eyebrow ironically, “This is seriously freaking weird, having this conversation with you.”

“Because we were lovers almost two decades ago?” Elliot asked. “Why should that matter now, except that I know more about you than I otherwise would?”

She drew her hands away from him. “That’s part of it. I always thought it was unprofessional, analyzing someone you slept with.”

Elliot chuckled at that. He should have known that would come up. She could never be an ordinary client; he’d met her too late to set her troubled path to rights as a child, and Lois was vastly different from the anxious mothers and neurotic wives he saw as part of his family practice. So certain of the rules he usually followed would have to be set aside, including the one about never sharing personal information with a patient. “I’ve never been very good at turning _off_ my analytical side, Lois, as you may recall. It’s one of the reasons I’m still a bachelor at my age. Tell me, did you feel it was unprofessional to ask your coworker Mr. Olsen to photograph your wedding?”

“No,” Lois replied, her brow furrowing.

“And do you feel it unprofessional to seek your detective friend’s advice when purchasing a firearm?”

That earned him a smile at last, Lois snickering in amusement. “Please, Maggie and I can spend a whole day arguing Smith & Wesson versus Glock.”

“So think of this as simply another case of your personal and professional lives intersecting. I am, I hope, a friend with training and skills that happen to be useful to you at the moment.”

She turned that over in her mind, giving it some consideration, and Elliot counted that as a victory. Getting Lois to take him _seriously_ when he talked to her about anything vaguely psychiatric had been impossible most of her life.

Eventually he managed to turn the conversation to one of the real reasons she was here: the state of her marriage. Lois still bristled at the question, cagey again, and Elliot couldn’t resist chuckling at her. “Please, Lois. Remember I’ve heard from both twins already. Any couple who’ve been married ten years and can still manage to disgust their offspring as often as you and Clark have since coming back from Nevada _must_ be doing fairly well on some levels.”

That got an embarrassed little laugh from her, and Elliot pressed on, trying to figure out exactly where the problems lay. He was already fairly certain that Lois was pathologically unable to _ask_ for anything, the more so the more she wanted or needed it, so unless Clark had psychic powers there were going to be communication problems. It took some time to get the answer from her, her expression as she danced around it making clear it troubled her a great deal. What startled him was the eventual revelation that she’d been feeling _old_.

Elliot Marrin had earned the letters after his name, however, and refrained from caustically explaining that if she was old, he was _ancient_ , and that from _his_ perspective she was still a young woman. “It’s true that none of us gets any younger,” he admitted. “But Lois, consider. Clark is older than you are, by five years or so, right? Why would he suddenly decide to pursue a younger woman?”

Her lips compressed into a thin line. “Pure insane thinking on my part. Look, it wasn’t him actually pursuing. It was…” A pause and a deep sigh there, complete with closed eyes. It was clear that this situation had truly bothered her. “Look, there’s this woman, and she’s _not_ younger, she just looks it. And she’s never made any secret of the fact that she likes him, even though she knows he’s married.”

“Yet he’s never, to your knowledge, returned the sentiment?”

An aggravated groan this time. “He never even _noticed_ it until Richard pointed it out to him. Which I find hard to believe, but I guess women see things in other women that men don’t.”

“There are times when men can be extraordinarily clueless about what goes on in the minds of women around them,” Elliot replied, not adding that the same was true in reverse. “The point is, he’s never shown any interest in this woman?”

An eye-roll at her own expense then. “No,” she admitted.

“Do you think he’s capable of having an interest in her and hiding it?”

“Probably not.” Lois tilted her head then, pursing her lips sullenly. In that expression, he could see the resemblance between her and Kala so well. “Let me guess? You’re going to tell me I don’t have anything to worry about, right? That I should just let it go?”

“I would never be _that_ presumptuous. But Lois, you effectively said so yourself just then. I would tell you to take your own advice – unless there’s some other factor involved. Is he keeping secrets from you?”

Interesting – her gaze left his again, looked completely away this time. In his mental notes Elliot circled the word ‘secrets’ in bold; something was up. Lois groaned, eyes to the ceiling again. “No, not hardly. _I’m_ the one who keeps secrets. That’s part of what got us in this mess. You’d think I’d learn, as often as it comes back to bite me in the ass.”

Immediately, her other ex came to mind, the caped one. He should have known that that would play a part somewhere. But that was neither here nor there, technically. “So why haven’t you stopped keeping secrets? Is it important to you to know something other people don’t?” he asked, even though he didn’t think that was her reason.

Lois grimaced, clearly uncomfortable, but he simply listened. Sometimes attentive silence was a therapist’s best technique; people often felt the need to fill it with things they wouldn’t normally say. And after a long moment, Lois proved him right. The way she bit her lower lip made him think of a child afraid to seem like a tattle-tale. So reluctant, but needing to get it out of her system. “Look, Elliot… This is all off the record, right?”

“I’m not recording this session, Lois. The only notes are in my head,” Elliot reassured her.

Lois sat in silence, seeming to turn things over in her mind before she spoke. Then, with a deep breath, she began telling him the story. “All right, a long time ago, someone thought I couldn’t keep an important secret. And he royally screwed up my life because he thought I couldn’t keep my mouth shut about it. The thing is, even though he screwed me over in a major way to try and make sure I didn’t have to keep quiet, I kept the frikkin’ secret anyway. Even though giving it away would’ve been … well, it would’ve been the perfect revenge on him and a success for me.”

“Does this person know that you did in fact keep the secret?”

“Yes, he does now.”

“Have you discussed with this person the way his actions affected you?”

“Oh, yeah. At length,” Lois muttered, frowning uncomfortably. “And I forgave him, too. It was a work in progress for a while, but it was years ago now.”

“It sounds like this incident is still fairly important to you,” Elliot commented.

Lois leaned back in her chair and raked one hand through her hair. “Yeah, well, it’s the only time he ever misjudged me. And he’s damn near perfect; it’s the only real, major, deserve-to-get-his-ass-kicked screw-up he’s ever done. And he was doing what he thought was best for me. For all of us, really. But he was wrong.” There was a pause then, hazel eyes going wide, something clearly occurring to her…

But she happened to glanced at the clock then, and grinned with relief. “Hey, look at that, it’s time. My hour’s up. Therapy’s over for the day. Guess we’ll have to pick this back up later.”

“Next week, same time?” Elliot said quickly.

That earned him an impish smile as she stood up and slipped her purse over her shoulder. “If you’re lucky, Doc. If you’re lucky.”

It was the two smiles that made him count it as a successful session.

 


	2. The Cockpit Humorist

Consulting with the entire family was going to be an interesting process, as Elliot knew ahead of time. He knew enough about each of the parents to look forward to his session with Richard White today. _The comic relief of the family, the prankster, the only one with the temerity to harass L, much loved by J and K,_ his notes read. Richard was the first dad the twins had ever known, and a strong influence on them both. Elliot had talked to him before of course, passing a few casual words when picking up or dropping off the twins, but hadn’t yet had the opportunity to analyze him.

Richard arrived a few minutes early and walked into the office with none of his ex-fiancée’s hesitation. The moment when a new patient walked in was always a telling one, and Richard was no different. He dropped onto the traditional couch and leaned back, hands behind his head, and looked over at Elliot with a wry grin. “So, Doctor Marrin, you wanna hear about my mom?”

An interesting way to begin, joking about stereotypes. Then again, what else should he have expected from Richard? “Would you like to tell me about her?”

“She’s nuts,” Richard promptly replied. “Nuts about her dogs, anyway. I’m only half-joking when I tell people I was seven years old before I figured out that I wasn’t an overgrown half-bald Yorkie.”

Elliot smiled at that, knowing he was expected to laugh or question the joke, but instead he kept silent to let Richard elaborate. And that Richard was happy to do. “So my mom loves her dogs. She always has a pair of Yorkies, and she lets them run wild. They steal food, they bite, and she thinks everything they do is adorable. Hell, Lois and the kids didn’t see my parents for years because one of the mutts tried to bite Jason and Lois damn near punted the little beast across the room.”

Richard sighed, shaking his head slightly. “That house… Mom insisted on having the entire interior done in pink and white. _Pink and white_. Over the years she’s been collecting Yorkie stuff. You wouldn’t _believe_ the shit you can buy with a picture of some dogs on it. Yorkie fridge magnets, towels, photo frames, _mirror_ frames, an entire tea set including a teapot shaped like a freakin’ Yorkie, coasters, vases, sofa pillows, and more damn figurines than anyone needs to own.”

“How does your father feel about this?” Elliot asked.

Laughing, Richard replied, “He converted the garage into his man-cave. Dad’s got his favorite recliner out there, the one Mom wanted to throw away five years ago, plus a cooler for his beer and a television. It’s a Yorkie-free zone. Probably not the best way to fix things, but it works for them.”

Elliot nodded slightly. “And if you were in such a situation, how would you resolve it?”

“Are you kidding me?” Richard scoffed. “First of all, Lana’s a whole lot more sane than my mom. We’d never be stuck in something like that. She’d never take over the whole penthouse, especially not for something ridiculous. And I’d never exile myself to a garage, either. It’s _our_ house and we’re both capable of looking up ‘compromise’ in the dictionary if we ever happen to forget how to do it.”

A little defensive there, but not much. The Whites’ marriage had always seemed very stable, except for a rocky period in the beginning, but then they had married only a couple months after meeting each other. Some early instability was to be expected. Since working through that, they’d been a sterling example.

Now for the big question. “Tell me, Richard, have you seen any signs of a similar – though less extreme – separation between Lois and Clark?”

Richard hesitated then, the first time Elliot had seen him do so. “Well, it’s not like we both don’t know that Lois … Lois has some issues. I love her to death, I really do, but she’s not the easiest person to live with. And neither is Clark, really. I … I don’t want to say they’re not meant for each other, because seriously, they’re epic. But there’s a lot of things they don’t have in common, and some of the things they _do_ have in common aren’t necessarily working for them, and it makes being together a challenge.”

 _That’s a very long way of saying yes_ , Elliot thought. Richard’s loyalty to his ex and her husband made it difficult for him to say anything negative about them. But with Lois reverting to her secretive ways, and Clark potentially mistrusting Elliot due to his history with Lois, the doctor knew he was going to have to seek other perspectives on the Lane-Kents’ family life.

“It’s clear to me that you are a very well-adjusted individual, and that your marriage to Lana is in no need of my assistance,” he began, which got a crooked grin from Richard. “Lois and Clark, however, have some work to do, and of course my primary concern is the twins. Please understand that I admire Lois greatly, as I think everyone who knows her does. She’s an extremely courageous and dedicated woman, and of course her devotion to her children is exemplary. That said, you know her better than I do, and if you – who at one point intended to marry her – say she’s difficult to live with, this is something I have to explore for her sake. Marital strife is always hardest on the children, you know, particularly when they don’t understand the reasons why.”

“You got that right,” Richard sighed. “Man, my mom and dad never fought that much, but it kind of sucked to realize he was slowly being crowded out of the house by ceramic Yorkies. I don’t think it’ll ever get to that point with Lois and Clark, though, because they love each other too much. And besides, they made a lot of progress in Nevada.”

“She was seriously injured in Nevada,” Elliot replied. “The prospect of actually losing one’s life generally does make people reconsider the things they take for granted, and recommit to important relationships.”

“Yeah, but before that Lana and I managed to kick some sense into both of them,” Richard said. “I had to point out to him some stuff he wasn’t aware of. Clark’s too good to be true, sometimes, and he forgets that the rest of the world doesn’t operate with his assumptions. And Lois, well, Lois will let Lana tell her stuff she’d slap anyone else for.”

Still no specifics – that was interesting. Richard was being much cagier about this than Elliot had expected. They’d established a rapport, Elliot had demonstrated he was on Lois’ side and pointed out the need to know what was wrong in order to help fix it, but Richard still spoke in generalities. And Elliot was certain that Richard knew _exactly_ what was going on between Lois and Clark.

Elliot sighed, took off his glasses, and set them on the table, rubbing the marks they left on the bridge of his nose. He relaxed his posture even more, sending subliminal signals of openness and vulnerability to encourage Richard to confide in him further. Meanwhile his mind worked furiously, trying to make an educated guess that would induce Richard to assume he already _knew_ what was wrong between the Lane-Kents, and that Richard himself would only be clarifying it.

Ah, that was it. He looked over at Richard with a slightly worried smile. “Lois hasn’t been quite the same since her mother passed, has she?”

It had the desired effect; Richard looked sucker-punched, and he sighed too. “Yeah, you’re right. Ever since she lost Ella, Lois has been … brittle. Trying to hold herself together and keep everyone else out. And Ella was a voice of reason; she’s helped Lois and Clark smooth things over in the past. That, uh, that was something she passed down to Lana, actually. I just found out fairly recently, but when we were all visiting Ella in the hospital she spoke to each of us privately, and she asked Lana to take over … managing Lois, I guess you can say. Being the designated worrier and general busybody. Which we weren’t doing so much of, because you know, sticking your nose into someone else’s marriage might not be well received.” Richard laughed then, a flash of his usual humor resurfacing. “Well, maybe you don’t know. It’s kind of your job to be nosy.”

“It’s perfectly normal to be concerned with the happiness of people you care about. I’d hardly call that prying,” Elliot replied.

“Lois might. Hell, Lois _would_. Getting past her defenses is always a challenge – hey, did you hear about the one Clark’s mom pulled on her?” Elliot hadn’t, and Richard proceeded to tell the story with relish. “The physical therapist told Lois to stay home from work. Perry told her if he saw her at the paper he’d have her thrown out by security, and if she tried to file an article he’d confiscate her computer. She was _not_ to work, period. And that drove her crazy, having to just rest and recuperate. Enforced idleness just isn’t her thing.”

Elliot nodded; Lois needed to be on the move all the time, needed to feel like she was in hot pursuit of some goal. Leisure time was perfectly fine in between stages of an ongoing project, but having _no_ purpose? That would irritate her to no end.

“So anyway, Martha and Ben – Clark’s mom and stepdad – came up to visit. Help around the house, make sure Lois wasn’t trying to lift weights with the messed-up shoulder, the usual. Ben’s a beagle breeder, and they brought with them this puppy out of the latest litter. Little runty thing, the mom rejected it, they had to feed it with a bottle every two hours, and he and Martha sighed over it like they didn’t expect it to last the weekend, but they wanted it to be comfortable during its short life.”

Elliot grinned; he knew how Lois would take that long shot. “The puppy was female, I take it?”

Richard nodded slowly. “Of course. And when Ben and Martha left, Lois had a new dog. She was about six pounds when Lois got her, and really weak. Martha said the pup was so tiny a sneeze would blow her away, and Lois decided to call her Katchoo after some comic book character. Now she’s caught up to where she should be, and Lois calls her Chewie because she’s an evil little biting devil.”

“And of course Lois empathizes with the underdog who makes everyone take notice,” Elliot said.

“Exactly. It’s good for her to worry about someone else, even if that someone is a puppy. Lois claims to know they were setting her up, but she still baby-talks to Chewie when she thinks we’re not listening.”

Elliot nods, smiling at the thought of Lois nursing a puppy back to health. “You’re right, of course. In your opinion overall, is Lois faring better, worse, or about the same as before Nevada?”

“Better,” Richard replied instantly. “Hell, we’re all better for it. Not a kind of therapy I’d recommend, but it seems to have worked. You don’t go through hell like that without taking a good long look at what’s really important to you and deciding to hang on to it for dear life.”

“So Lois and Clark have re-committed to one another,” Elliot mused aloud. “And the children?”

“The twins…” Richard trailed off, then shook his head. “I love Kala dearly, of course, but she needed a smack upside the head. Teenage drama, you know? No one understands her, life’s so hard, nobody loves her, all that nonsense. Well, she got a great big wakeup call when her mom got shot trying to rescue her. She’ll never doubt again that she’s important, that she’s loved, and as much as I hate to say it, she knows what _real_ hardship is now. It’s made her grateful for the life she has. That’s a big dose of reality for a kid to cope with, but she’s never been an ordinary kid. She’s more confident in the right ways now, and less arrogant in the wrong ones.”

That boded well; Kala had been fairly reticent in her sessions, and now Elliot had a few leads to follow up with her. He had known that Kala was experiencing all the usual trials of adolescence, written large in her case due to her odd combination of self-confidence and doubt. 

“As for Jason, he’s finally proven himself. He’s always been worried about stepping up to his parents’ legacy – high-powered reporters and all that, he wants to make a difference in the world too, you know? I mean, he decided he was going to help save his sister, come hell or high water, and he defied all of us to do it. Not in a stupid, stubborn teenage way, like I would’ve at his age. He stood up to the four of us like a grown man, and we treated him like an adult while we were in Nevada. A lot to put on his shoulders, I know, but he handled it. And now that he’s home it’s like he’s finally _enjoying_ being a kid, doing normal teenage stuff. Like he knows he can step up to the plate when he has to, so he’s going to treasure the last few years before he has to become super-responsible.”

Jason had always been the easier twin to deal with, but Elliot had watched him more closely for that. Growing up in a family of several powerful, extroverted personalities might have caused him to develop a shy inward turn, but so far he’d been on track to grow into his own more subtle strengths. The only thing Elliot was really concerned about regarding Jason was his intensity, and according to Richard some of that had finally let up.

Richard sighed. “The only one who didn’t benefit out of all of this was Kristin. She is _not_ a happy camper. Still hasn’t forgiven Big K for leaving without her, and she’s been having nightmares about us leaving her. That’s from having to stay in Kansas while we all went to Nevada, I know. Thank God she didn’t really understand what happened to Lana.” He shuddered at that, and for good reason.

“Children are resilient,” Elliot reminded him. “I’m certain Kristin will be fine, but if you have any concerns, don’t hesitate to bring her to me.”

“I won’t,” Richard said.

Elliot looked up at the clock and nodded. “The hour’s almost up. Was there anything else you wanted to tell me?”

Richard hesitated on the verge of speaking, biting his lip. “Well, not really. Just … what I said about Kala? She really went through hell in Nevada. And whatever she tells you, if she’s said anything or not yet, just remember she’s been pretty shaken up. I mean, she’s going to pull through, but…”

He trailed off, and Elliot stepped in. “Doctor-patient confidentiality prevents me from discussing specifics, but I assure you, I’m aware of the gravity of the situation, and the discretion required.” Besides, his next session with Kala was tomorrow after school. If he wanted to know why Richard was suddenly being so jumpy, he could ask Kala herself.

“Thank you,” Richard said, and shook his hand before he left.

Elliot leaned back in his chair and thought about everything Richard had said – and then thought more closely about what he _hadn’t_ said. “You’re hiding something,” he finally concluded. “You’re _all_ hiding something.” What that was, he couldn’t begin to guess, but discovering secrets was his stock in trade.

 


	3. The Good Son

Jason had always been the more reticent of the twins, and Elliot knew years ago that the boy proved the old saying ‘still waters run deep.’ He was always the thinker of the pair, the one who might stare out a window for an hour daydreaming while his sister ran amok in the house. Not that Jason didn’t get up to trouble too, and when he did, his mischief tended to be better orchestrated and less impulsive than Kala’s. All four parents knew that if something got knocked over, spilled, or broken, the blame likely lay with Kala, but if the hidden stash of cookies in the cabinet well out of the twins’ reach was mysteriously emptied, they should look to Jason.

In therapy, he was the more difficult patient to work with. Even when Kala chose not to talk about something, her silences and misdirections would often point the way toward what she was hiding. Jason tended to simply and stubbornly shut down. Unlike his sister, he was capable of spending an entire session staring at the ceiling and not uttering a word.

That quality of Jason’s, something absolute and unshakable, made him a challenge. It had taken Elliot months to feel as though he’d gained the boy’s trust, and over the years he’d continued to learn just how little he’d understood in the beginning. On the surface Jason was just a good kid, a bit of a dreamer. The next thing Elliot had discovered was how fiercely protective the boy was of his family. Not just his twin, either – Jason had a lot of rage toward Lex Luthor for having threatened Lois. He was not the first six-year-old boy to tell Elliot that he was going to grow up big and strong so he could beat up anyone who dared threaten his mommy. He was, however, the first to send a chill down Elliot’s spine with the perfect seriousness and determination behind the words. Remembering it now and looking at the broad-shouldered youth, Elliot found himself very glad that he was on Lois’ good side these days.

Overall Jason was best defined by his steadiness. Elliot could lead him off of a topic that interested him, but the boy would always swing back to it. Likewise, if he decided to pursue a goal, he _would_ achieve it no matter how long it took. And happily for the family, while his emotional equilibrium could be upset, Jason tended to come back to stability on his own with time.

When he arrived for their session, Elliot noted that nothing seemed out of the ordinary. A casual observer would never guess that this boy – no, young man, there was not much of the boy left in him – had been through hell mere weeks ago. Elliot led him through all the usual preliminary questions about his state of mind, and got all the usual answers. No nightmares, no anxiety, no depression.

“And how is your sister?” Elliot asked. The best gauge of Jason’s real mindset was his response to questions about other people. He defined himself by his connections to his family, and in fact relied upon those connections and obligations to anchor him in times of stress. The more anxious he felt, the more he grounded himself by looking after other people.

“She wants everyone to think she’s fine,” Jason sighed. “She’s not though. She still has nightmares. She’s still a lot quieter than she used to be, but if she notices you noticing she reverts back to pre-kidnapping Kala, loud and kinda obnoxious.”

“Everyone has their own coping mechanisms,” Elliot told him. “Kala is stronger than even she knows, and though she’s been through a lot, I’m confident she’ll come out of it all right in the end. After all, she has you.”

Jason’s mouth quirked up, not quite a smile. “Yeah. You know, I think we’re finally doing what everyone always said we would: growing apart. She’s still my sister, of course, she’ll always be my twin, but… I’m going to Gotham next summer. Without her. And I don’t _like_ that, but I won’t be throwing a temper tantrum about it. I mean, we do kinda have to go our separate ways a little.”

“You will always be close,” Elliot said carefully. This was the part of the twins’ growing up that he had always known would be the most delicate. Circumstances had created an unusually strong bond between them, even for twins, but for the mental health of both children they needed to develop independence from each other.

He had always counseled Lois to let them do that in their own time rather than trying to force it, and since her instincts echoed his advice, she’d gone along with it. If anyone had tried to push them apart, Kala would have had hysterics, and Jason would have become even more fiercely protective of her, thereby achieving the opposite of the desired result. Elliot remembered hearing about Kala’s mute tears and Jason’s savage anger at his parents when he first learned Lois and Richard were breaking up. The twins had thought that might mean separation for them too, and they simply would not allow it. Their conviction – especially Jason’s – had been strong enough to cow two grown men, neither of whom particularly feared _Lois_.

“It is important for you and Kala to be apart at times,” Elliot told Jason. “Contrary to popular belief, you twins are two individuals, not two halves of a single entity, and you’re right that you will go your separate ways. But I believe that the bond between you and Kala will never be broken.”

Some of the tension in Jason’s shoulders relaxed at those words, and Elliot went on. “That said, it is good that you have some time to yourself. I think you’ll find that being apart, being able to move around without worrying about stepping on each other’s toes, will only bring you and Kala closer. Besides, you’re both dating, and that takes up a certain amount of your time, doesn’t it?”

“I’m dating Elise again, and Kala won’t let me forget that she was her friend first,” Jason said grumpily. “As for Kala, she’s officially unofficially seeing Nick. The college guy. I don’t like him, Sebast doesn’t like him, Dad doesn’t like him, and I think Lana would love to strangle him. But Mom says if we don’t let them hang out they’ll go all Romeo and Juliet on us and it’ll drag on forever. At least this way they’re supervised and maybe they’ll get bored of each other.” He had crossed his arms, and his expression spoke of deepest loathing.

“Your mother is a very wise woman,” Elliot told him. “And your sister is no fool, either. Do you truly believe that this Nick will take advantage of Kala?” For the moment he ignored everything he knew about Nick from his sessions with Kala, focusing on how Jason perceived the older boy.

Jason scowled even more ferociously. “I think there’s only one reason for a college guy to try dating a high school girl. I’m not blind – she’s my sister, but I know why every guy we know wants to date her. At least most of the ones our age don’t set their sights too high. Nick … Nick only wants one thing.”

Interesting, that he acknowledged his sister’s attractiveness. What Jason probably wasn’t aware of was the fact that Kala not only looked older than she was, but also carried herself more like a college girl than a high school student. That, of course, came from growing up in her mother’s shadow, striving to be a miniature Lois – or to be better than Lois at her own game. As a result, most of Kala’s mannerisms were modeled on adults, and she had enough natural grace to carry it off instead of looking like a silly kid pretending to be grown.

“Your theory relies on three people behaving like fools,” Elliot pointed out. “First, your mother would have to be wrong in her assumption that allowing Kala and Nick to see each other might cause familiarity to dull the attraction between them, while forcing them apart would lend the lure of the forbidden to their romance.”

“Okay, Mom’s probably right,” Jason said, predictably coming to his mother’s defense.

“Second, you assume that your sister is foolish enough not to suspect Nick’s motives, and to allow herself to be manipulated. We both know Kala isn’t as worldly-wise as she pretends to be, but I understand she’s had a bit of a scare in that direction already. Do you really think she would let herself be taken advantage of?”

Jason was as protective of his sister as he was of his mother, and he would have to stop and think before saying Kala was blind enough to be tricked. “The thing is, Kala thinks she’s too smart to be taken in, and that’s what gets her in trouble. But probably she’s going to be more careful this time. Who’s the third person?”

Elliot grins. “Nick himself. Do you really think he’s stupid enough to provoke you, your father, your _mother_ , your stepparents, and Sebast?”

Jason finally laughed. “Yeah, you’re right. He’d have to be a complete moron to mess up when all of us are just waiting to kick his ass. Thanks, Dr. Marrin.”

“You’re welcome, Jason,” Elliot said. “Speaking of dating, how are things with Elise?” 

The enormous smile on the young man’s face was all the answer he really needed. “She’s, well, she’s the best. I’m trying to be cool and everything, because I don’t want to scare her off like last time, but Dr. Marrin, I’m gonna marry Elise someday. I _know_ it. But I’m trying to be just, you know, normal about it. And I’ve never been very good at being normal.”

“Is that so?” Elliot said. Jason seemed like a fairly normal young man to him, but then very few teenagers managed to escape feeling like they were completely abnormal and irredeemably strange.

“I’m not like other guys,” Jason explained. “I mean, no normal sixteen-year-old wants to get married. I know that’s weird. But I don’t want to deal with all the stupid dating idiocy everyone else is doing. Going out, hooking up, breaking up, seeing someone new every month, it’s just so … _lame_. All everyone ever does is worry about what’s right in front of them or what other people are thinking. They never really think about what they want to do with the rest of their lives or who they want to spend that time with. They just want to look cool. Well, I looked really cool when I was seeing Giselle, and look how that turned out.”

He was still upset at himself for not seeing through the spy’s deception. Elliot had been working with him on that, and took the opportunity to reinforce it. “You were intended to look good with her. Giselle was an experienced con artist. Her entire lifestyle depending on becoming whoever her target needed her to be. You couldn’t have known her intentions, Jason.”

“I should’ve,” Jason muttered, then shook himself. “Anyway. I wish there was something I could’ve done to make it all turn out right. Giselle didn’t have to die. It wasn’t my fault, I know that, so you don’t have to tell me. I just…” He sighed and shrugged. “I want to make the world a better place. I know that sounds cheesy, but it’s true.”

“Even if doing so puts you in danger?” Elliot asked. Every time he’d approached this topic, Jason shied off it. Elliot knew the boy had taken some serious risks; Lois was still upset over it, and Kala was still furious.

“I wasn’t _really_ in danger,” Jason insisted. “Giselle wouldn’t have shot me.”

Elliot wasn’t as certain of that, but it wasn’t his point. “I was under the impression that Giselle wasn’t the only threat you faced.”

Jason hesitated, looking away from Elliot, but then he gave in. “Well, yeah, okay. The stuff that went down in Nevada… I don’t want to talk about it. Yeah, I could’ve gotten hurt really bad, but I was mostly smart, and when I was dumb I was also lucky. So it turned out okay in the end.”

And no matter how delicately Elliot phrased his further questions, that was all he could get Jason to say on that topic. It seemed Jason had inherited his mother’s propensity for keeping secrets.

 


	4. The Firebrand Daughter

One thing was certain. Kala, like her mother before her, always made an entrance. Duffel bag of a purse slung over her shoulder and her boot heels tapping loudly on the tile of the hallway, she swept into the inner office and dropped into her customary seat with a heavy sigh and roll of her eyes. Elliot noticed that her eyes were darkly lined with kohl again; for a while she’d gone with much less makeup than was usual for her, but the striking eyeliner signaled another milestone on the road to normality. “Hi. I know you were expecting Dad, Dr. Marrin, but he’s unavailable so you’re getting me instead. Hope you don’t mind.”

Elliot had gotten the impression that Clark Kent wasn’t the kind of man to break his appointments, but then, he’d also believed Kala had no interest in coming to therapy any more often than strictly necessary. This was an intriguing development indeed. “Of course I don’t mind. I would like to know what brings you here in your father’s place, though.”

She laughed then, her lavender-painted lips turning up in an honest smile. In the past month, he hadn’t heard her laugh except for a cynical chuckle ten years too old for her, but gradually Kala began to pull free of the shadow cast over her by the events in Nevada, and the easy, free laughter of happier times was beginning to return to her. A happy event to be sure. “Nothing much, really. It’s just, well… Okay, so Mom went to the doctor today, and … she’s been cleared for takeoff, if you catch my drift.” She wrinkled her nose theatrically. “Dad’s not going to keep _any_ appointments today, and I’d rather be anywhere but home. Jase and I are bunking with Dad and Lana tonight, _obviously_.”

For a moment Elliot didn’t understand, and then he caught her meaning. It must have been obvious when he reached the right conclusion, because Kala’s merry laugh rang out again. Lois had had major surgery, and likely she’d been restricted from more than just work. Now she was free to return to normal activities, which her husband would be anxious to resume after so nearly losing her. Perfectly understandable under the circumstances. The twins had been lucky never to have actually walked in on their parents having sex – Lois believed firmly in locked doors and an expectation of privacy – but like all kids the mere idea of it was the ultimate gross-out.

“Then I’m glad to see you, Kala,” Elliot said. “Since you’re here, then, is there anything in particular you’d like to discuss?” He didn’t expect her to open up that easily, but then, Kala could be counted on to surprise him whenever he least expected it.

The long annoyed sigh she let out was promising. “Not unless you know how to get Jason off my back about Nick,” Kala replied, leaning back into the chair and crossing her arms. “He keeps this up, I’m not going out to lunch with him alone for a couple of months. I mean it. I’m getting _really_ tired of hearing about it from him and Sebast and everyone else.”

“Your brother is just concerned for your safety,” Elliot reminded her.

Kala arched a dark eyebrow, her expression so similar to her mother’s that it was haunting. “Dr. Marrin, trust me on this. Nick isn’t getting anything from me that I don’t decide – after plenty of serious reflection – that I _want_ to give him. Getting arrested would really screw up his chances of becoming a successful surgeon, so nothing’s going to happen until I turn eighteen anyway. And, anyway, for the moment, I really mean the ‘just friends’ thing. End of story.”

That was a rather cold and calculating way of looking at it, especially for a teenage girl. The expression on her face was just as serious. Then again, Kala had been through some things that gave her a much more cynical outlook on life and relationships. Elliot knew he still hadn’t been told the _whole_ truth about Nevada, but he’d been given a cohesive narrative that was truthful enough for his purposes.

The gist of the story they had all told him was this: Kala had run away from home at the indirect instigation of Jason’s girlfriend Giselle, who was actually a spy for Luthor. Luthor’s henchmen had kidnapped her on the subway, drugged her, and taken her to his underground laboratory in Nevada. There Kala had met one of his employees, a man named Schecter who initially seemed like an ally. He and Kala had been plotting their escape from Luthor’s facility together, but at the crucial moment Kala had discovered he was part of the plot to kill Superman – that, in fact, he intended to use _her_ against her godfather and her family. In that moment of clarity, of seeing her supposed ally for the treacherous snake he was, Kala had turned and shot him with the stolen gun she was supposed to use on Luthor.

Elliot knew that was a _story_ , something concocted afterwards to make sense of disjointed facts. The salient parts were true, though. Kala had been kidnapped and deceived, and she had killed the man who betrayed her. He didn’t doubt any of _those_ facts, didn’t doubt that this girl he had met when she was six years old would defend herself in any way she had to.

Technically his knowledge made him an accessory after the fact, but she’d acted in self-defense and in defense of her family, so Kala was not a murderer. And in the confusion at the lab, where Luthor apparently triggered a self-destruct sequence, many lives had been lost. There was no ethical point in trying to prosecute Kala. Luthor was to blame for everything that had happened there.

Still, it left Kala with a harder edge than the average sixteen-year-old. She’d shot a man, watched him die; a man whom she’d come to trust during her captivity. Of course she’d been swayed by Stockholm syndrome, would never have trusted him if she’d met him under any other circumstances, but in that situation he had been her only friend, and she’d killed him nonetheless.

Knowing that – though it was hardly the first cold, bloody truth he’d ever learned about the human heart – Elliot was unsurprised that she spoke of Nick in such mercenary terms. So he asked a question from a slightly different angle, hoping to illuminate her feelings for the boy. “Do you love Nick?”

Kala stopped to consider, her gaze unfocused for long moments. He saw her frown a little. She was really thinking about the question. “As in, Mom and Dad, forever-after, fairytale kind of love? I … I don’t think so. I like him, I care about him, and well…” She trailed off and shrugged, a hint of a blush to her cheeks. “I _like_ him. Maybe I love him, too. But it’s not like the way I love Jase or Sebast, that nothing-will-ever-change-it kind of love. Even if Sebast _is_ still making up for being an idiot, you know.” That prompted a little snort and a brief smirk before she continued on, “Maybe that’s just for twin brothers and best friends and soul mates, and I don’t think Nick’s my soul mate. Honestly? I’m sixteen, I don’t have to find my one and only _now_. I’ve got time. Although try telling that to Lizardboy.” A little laugh this time. “But you know what? Maybe I don’t _want_ what Mom and Dad have. I mean, that kind of love, it’s borderline obsessive, you know? They didn’t have much time together the first time and, whether she wants to admit it or not, it’s almost like she didn’t really _live_ until he came back.” Sympathy was written in her expression when she said that last.

Interesting how different she was from her brother, who had developed such a strong attachment at the same age. Jason wanted what his parents had, wanted it with all his heart, but Kala was capable of seeing the downside of a love like that. Not only that, she referred to it as ‘fairytale love,’ as if she believed it were beyond the reach of her own reality. “You’re unusually astute,” Elliot complimented her.

Kala gave him a sad smile, shaking her head. “No, just smart enough to watch Mom staring out the window sometimes while Dad was gone. I was a kid, I didn’t know what was missing from her life, I didn’t understand that the whole time she was with Daddy Richard she was trying to be someone else so she could be happy without Dad. And when Mom and Dad first got together, I thought it was all sweet and romantic, but now that I’m older I’m starting to realize that they paid for what they have. Nothing is life is free, and they’re pretty damn star-crossed. Sure, they have the epic love story of the century, but they also both have the scars to show they had to fight for it. I’m not sure I want love like that.”

Elliot, a lifelong bachelor, could understand her sentiment perfectly. He enjoyed relationships, but the kind of commitment that Lois and Clark had wasn’t something he particularly wanted in his life. It was too easy to imagine one of them saying to the other, _I would go through Hell and back for you,_ and meaning it. In Elliot’s experience, life – the powers that be – tended to treat declarations like that as a challenge. The Lane-Kents certainly seemed to be living proof of that.

“So if you don’t want epic romance, what _do_ you want from a relationship?” Elliot asked.

She gnawed her lip when she was deep in thought, and her eyes tended to roll upward as if the answers were written on the insides of her eyelids. “I just … I don’t want to be alone, you know? I want someone to go places with me, someone to take me out to dinner and tell me I look beautiful. Is that shallow?”

“To want to feel special? No. I’d say it’s human.”

Kala smiled crookedly. “Yeah, I guess it is. Most of the guys I’ve gone out with have been just like that, casual. I like being adored, you know? I don’t want to fall in love and get married yet, I have _plans_. Big ones. Which is why I ended up breaking up with most of them after a couple weeks. Most guys couldn’t grasp the fact that I have a life that’s not about them.”

“So what caused you to change your typical relationship pattern and go out with Nick for several months?”

Sighing again, Kala replied, “First of all, we’re _not_ going out yet.” Her look was pointed, “Now, on a _friends_ level, he’s the only guy I’ve met who can keep up with me. Boys my age … with a few exceptions, they’re _boys_. They have the attention span of a gnat on crack, their egos are _enormous_ but totally fragile, a short skirt fries their brains completely, and I swear they only have about three default trains of thought: ‘Does this make me look cool?’ ‘Will I ever see her boobs?’ And, ‘What’re we having for dinner?’ Sometimes they’re so immature I just want to smack them, but most of the time I’m too busy laughing.”

Her caustic observations startled Elliot into unprofessional laughter, which she joined in after a moment. “I wish I could refute that, but contrary to popular belief I remember being a teenager. It’s a strange state to be in, isn’t it? Especially when you’re intelligent and self-aware enough to realize just how odd it is.”

“Oh yeah,” Kala agreed. “I mean, it’s a total head trip. And Nick … Nick’s mature, he’s pretty sensible, he can actually talk to me like we’re both adults, and his brain doesn’t go offline if I happen to be wearing something that shows some skin. I need that right now, I need someone sane and normal to keep me grounded.” Purple lips curved into a smirk again and she added, “It helps that he’s totally gorgeous. He’s got that golden-boy thing going on, blond and chiseled. I mean, I can look at him all day.”

That, finally, was normal for her age. Grinning over a handsome boy – Elliot had been afraid for a while that Kala would retreat into herself after Nevada. She blamed herself for her mother’s injuries, for the risks the whole family had taken, but as Lois recovered Kala began to return to normal. The nightmares Jason had described were part of the normal healing process as her subconscious mind dealt with everything that had happened to her.

And after all, Kala had been the one to insist she return to school as quickly as possible, immersing herself in normalcy to try and get back on track faster. She had Lois’ keen instinct for what she needed, not necessarily what she wanted, and the stubborn determination to see it through.

While Elliot thought that, Kala had been smiling slightly, thinking of Nick. Then she mused aloud, “You know, he’s almost as good-looking as Sebast. Sebast is prettier, though, so don’t tell him I ever even _dreamed_ anyone could be as gorgeous as he is.” She was laughing to herself then, at what had to be a joke between them.

Another thing that made Kala professionally interesting to Elliot was her relationship with Sebast. The two were truly best friends, incredibly close, and unlike a lot of teenage friendships, theirs never seemed to waver. Except for that once, when a cunning spy led him to believe something calculated to push Kala over the edge. There was also something else about it, something that seemed a little more intense than mere friendship, and he wanted to investigate that. “How is Sebast, by the way?” Elliot asked.

Kala grinned wildly then; she nearly always smiled when she talked about Sebast. “Other than hating Nick and threatening him with all sorts of creative deaths, he’s his usual smartass self. Did I tell you about when he went to see Mom in the hospital the first time?” Elliot just shook his head, and she chuckled, shaking her head with clear amusement. “Okay, so once she got out of the ICU _again_ and could have visitors other than immediate family, Sebast really wanted to see her. You know Mom thinks of him as family and he thinks she’s awesome and all, right? We didn’t tell him about the shooting until after everyone got settled; don’t ask me how he was out of the loop, grounded or not. So I brought him with me, and he kinda skids to a halt at the doorway because he’s used to Mom as a force of nature. And a provider of pizza, but you know what I mean. And here she is lying in a hospital bed all pale and bruised and bandaged and miserable-looking because she’s already been to physical therapy and she _hates_ being weak.

“Mom looks up at Sebast, he looks at her, and for like a full minute there’s silence. Then he walks over to the bed, picks up her hand, and says in that so-serious voice, ‘Mom, when you get out of here, remind me to teach you the ancient Boricua martial art of how to freakin’ _duck_ when people shoot at you.’ And she laughed and hugged him. I think that made her feel better than all the stupid get-well cards and flowers everyone from the office was sending.”

“It’s good that she appreciates his sense of humor,” Elliot said thoughtfully. “And you’re fortunate that your best friend doesn’t fit the typical teenage male you described earlier.”

“Well yeah, I couldn’t be friends with Sebast if he was staring at my chest all the time,” Kala said pointedly with a snicker. “Although the food thing is true. Jason does it too. They can be in the middle of a serious discussion about history or whatever while we’re in the car, and if Mom drives past a barbecue place they both stop and sniff. I swear boys have ridiculous metabolisms.”

Since she was in a talkative mood, Elliot decided to be a little more direct. “I find it interesting that when you talked about love, you mentioned Sebast in the category of fairytale love.”

Her chin went up then, her gaze both defensive and a little disappointed as she put her hand up warningly. “Okay. Stop right there. We’ve been over this before. Yes, he’s absolutely drool-worthy and _almost_ as perfect as he thinks is, and I love him forever and ever, but it can’t be like _that_. He’s _gay_ , Dr. Marrin, and I’m not stupid. Even if I wanted to somehow seduce him, he’d never be happy with me because I’m not what he wants. _He_. _Likes_. _**Boys**_. _Lots_ of them. And I love him too much to even consider doing that to him.” She paused, and went on nervously, “Besides, if we were dating instead of best friends then everything would be awkward. Who wants that?”

“Just suppose, if he wasn’t…” Elliot didn’t get to finish the sentence, Kala jumping in irritably.

“Yeah, yeah, if he was straight I’d be all over that, just like any sane woman on the planet. But he’s not, so there’s no point in mooning over something that’ll never be. Wouldn’t you rather ask me how I’m going to cope with being away from my twin for a whole summer?”

That she volunteered to talk about something distressing indicated how strongly she disliked talking about Sebast. It was clear to Elliot that Kala had at least had a crush on him at some point, probably before she found out about his sexual orientation. For the moment he humored her, though. “I’m sure you’ll handle it well, Kala.”

She replied, “It’s gonna be weird, but it’s not like we don’t have phones. He’s not _that_ far away. Besides, we can’t stay kids forever. We’re both growing up, and I can’t be by his side every moment. Or even every day. Maybe not even every week.” Kala fell silent for a long moment, her eyes distant, her lips pressed tightly together. “Jason’s going to go to college, get a job, marry Elise, buy a house, and fill it up with nieces and nephews for me to spoil.” She flashed him a smile that wasn’t her most convincing. “I mean, let’s be honest. I … I’d only be underfoot in all of that if I was there all the time. It’s time. We have to be apart. I know it, he knows it.” Kala glanced away before she nodded firmly, convincing herself.

Elliot could read the anxiety underneath the veneer of acceptance. Kala wasn’t as sanguine about this as she pretended to be, but it was just life – everyone got through it in the end. “You’re astonishingly perspicacious for your age,” he said, letting her think she’d fooled him. “And how about your mother?” 

That brought a wry smile. “What _can_ you say about Mom? She drives me nuts occasionally, actually all the time, but that’s what moms are for. Things are a whole lot better with us. I almost understand her now. I think. No matter how bad it gets, we know each other better now, and we never quite get to the point things were at before I ran away. After Nevada, I _know_ she loves me, and she knows I love her, and we both know that’ll never change.” Still smiling, she gave an expressive shrug. “You know, in light of that, everything else is small stuff.”

 


	5. The Circuitous Designer

Very few people enjoyed visiting a therapist. Most of them grew to appreciate the difference in their lives, but very few actually looked forward to the sessions. Elliot had grown used to that attitude over time, but the woman now sitting in the chair across from him was broadcasting her dislike of the situation even more than _Lois_ had, and that was an achievement.

Interesting, because by all accounts Lana _should_ have had the least to hide of any of them. And yet she was sitting with her legs crossed at the knee, hands locked together at waist level, shoulders tense, and her expression so carefully blank beneath a mask of politeness that she might as well have walked in shouting, “There is something I _really_ don’t want to tell you!”

And it was his job, of course, to find out what she was hiding. Elliot greeted her politely and walked her through a few simple questions, reminding that she was here for the sake of the entire family. “You have a rather unique and valuable perspective on Clark and Lois’ marriage,” he said.

She sighed, and some of the tension drained away. “We – Richard and I – knew something was wrong. It took us too long to figure out what that something actually was, and even when we did realize, we didn’t stage an intervention because it was the middle of the holidays and everything was hectic. I won’t make _that_ mistake again, I assure you.”

The redhead’s voice was firm by the end, and Elliot paused for a moment, intrigued. “You’re willing to take responsibility for someone else’s marriage?” he asked cautiously.

Her eyes narrowed. “Clark has been one of my best friends since we were three years old, Dr. Marrin. And Lois has been another of my closest friends since we resolved our differences ten years ago. I’d be seriously remiss for not trying to help people I care about.”

Elliot laced his fingers together thoughtfully. “A noble sentiment, but interference of that type, even when it’s helpful, even when it’s necessary, is rarely welcomed. In fact, it’s usually resented, _especially_ when it’s helpful.”

“So be it. Our friendship is strong enough to survive some temporary resentment. Lois and Clark were there for us when Richard and I were going through our own tough times. She helped me a lot when I didn’t particularly want help – when I was fairly unhappy about her existence, come to think of it. Her displeasure is a small thing to risk when her happiness is at stake, and she’s reasonable enough to forgive me after the fact.”

Lana had lifted her chin slightly when she spoke, meeting Elliot’s gaze steadily. For all that she didn’t want to be here, she certainly wasn’t intimidated by _him_. That made it even more probable that whatever she didn’t want to talk about was because she felt dubious about it, not because she simply disliked opening up to a relative stranger. And furthermore, well-intentioned meddling wasn’t the thing she was trying to hide.

Elliot held her gaze for a long silent moment, but she refused to be unnerved. “I think you may have missed your calling, Lana,” he finally said. “Something tells me you should have been a counselor of some sort.”

To his surprise, she smiled. “I do tend to be the person who looks after everyone else’s mental health. You know, when we were heading out to Nevada, I remember thinking of myself as the chaplain of the group. There are so many military analogies around Lois and Richard, it just seemed fitting, even if I was thinking more along the lines of ‘counselor’ than ‘religious official’. But then, if I’d chosen that path, you might not be analyzing the family now.”

“And I’d hate to miss out on this golden opportunity,” Elliot replied. “Since you’ve acknowledged your role as family counselor, though, I’m interested to hear your perspective on the current issues.”

That got a chuckle. “Which ones? Kala trying to figure out who she is without becoming a carbon copy of her mother, and the harder she rebels the more she gets compared to Lois. I _think_ we’re getting past that, finally. Coming so close to losing each other really made Lois and Kala put an effort into making amends. Of course, now she’s a little _too_ cautious thanks to everything Luthor put her through, but one thing she has in common with both of her parents is her resilience. Kala has plenty of support; she’ll be fine. She just needs time. And it helps that Lois is the only one she’s really talking to about what happened in Nevada; they’re helping each other heal.”

Lana sighed. “Or you might’ve been thinking of Jason, trying to be so very serious and grown-up that he forgets how to act like a teenager at times. Maybe we’ve got that under control, too. Nevada showed him that he can step up when he has to, and that he’d better enjoy the last few years of being a kid while he can. He’s always been the easier of the two to deal with, and now that he has Elise back in his life, things are pretty much perfect for him.”

Elliot had to sit back, surprised. She _had_ missed her calling – Lana had almost quoted some of his notes. “I agree with you, the twins will be all right. They’re headed in the right direction, and my only job is to help them steer clear of occasional pitfalls. Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of the Lane-Kents’ marital issues. That’s my primary concern at the moment.”

 _Then_ she stiffened. “I was under the impression you were a child psychologist, not a marriage counselor.”

Interesting response – what was she so defensive about? “The deciding factor for those kids’ mental health over the next few years will be the state of their parents’ marriage. Besides, we’ve already established that you’re willing to interfere for their sake,” he reminded her.

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean I’m willing to share confidences with you,” Lana replied, her tone so strictly civil it had frost on the edges.

“Ah, I understand. You don’t believe I’m capable of helping them – or you don’t believe that my motives for seeking information are pure. Maybe you just don’t believe that I’m professional enough to take my patients’ confidentiality seriously.” Elliot smiled at her; he had always enjoyed a challenge.

To his surprise, she smiled back. “Not hardly. It’s just that I don’t believe in telling someone else’s secrets.”

Elliot had already figured out that the entire family was keeping a major secret from him, but Lana was the first to admit it. The challenge would be to see if he could find out what it was. “Perhaps you’d be willing to at least corroborate or correct my own impressions? I have spoken to Lois after all, and Clark is going to make it in someday, so I ought to hear most of this.”

“I suppose,” Lana finally said, but the set of her shoulders told him she was _not_ happy about it.

“Besides, it’s not as if Lois has many secrets from me,” Elliot added, trying for a casual confidence-inspiring tone.

Lana laughed, cutting herself off abruptly at his startled expression. Did she really think he was that clueless about a woman he’d loved … or did she know for a fact that she knew something he didn’t? Trying not to sound too amused, she said, “I’ll let _her_ decide that. For now, let’s stick with what you’ve figured out so far.”

“Then I’ll start with Lois,” Elliot replied. “Her biggest problem right now is that she secretly believes she doesn’t deserve the life she has. She’s afraid that she’s a terrible parent and only sheer luck has kept the twins from hating her completely. Worse, she thinks Clark is too good for her, and she feels as though she has to be a hundred and twenty percent for him. The fact that she’s in her forties now doesn’t help, as she’s afraid she’s losing her appeal.”

The redhead looked stunned, and Elliot leaned back. “I haven’t met with Clark yet, but I would suspect that none of that is true. He loves his wife very much, has no interest in replacing her, and admires her immensely. If anything, he thinks _he’s_ the lucky one. Am I on track so far?”

“More so than I would’ve expected,” Lana admitted.

He nodded. _I_ _ **do**_ _know what I’m talking about, ma’am._ “Lois’ problems are compounded by her inability to ask for help or even admit that she could use it once offered, which makes her lucky to have you in her life, since you’ve said you’re willing to give her that help whether she asks for it or not. I would guess that one of the reasons she respects you – and she doesn’t usually have positive relationships with women who aren’t a lot like her – is because you don’t accept her façade of absolute hardcore bitchiness. You know as well as I do that she’s an incurable romantic, that she’s deeply vulnerable beneath all that toughness, and that part of her is still seeking the acceptance, approval, and encouragement she never received from her father.”

“Lois has come a long way on that front,” Lana said. “She and Clark have done a lot to fix their communication problems, and being trapped in a hospital bed forced her to confront the fact that sometimes she _does_ need someone else to rely on.”

“She’s lucky to have friends who will offer that help, unasked and most likely unappreciated,” Elliot mused.

Lana arched auburn brows at him. “Unappreciated? Contrary to popular belief, Lois isn’t _totally_ uncivilized. Her mother did teach her some manners, when her father wasn’t teaching her five ways to kill a man with her bare hands. I’d like to think I’ve contributed somewhat to getting her to behave more like her mother’s daughter than her father’s soldier. Besides, even if she doesn’t always say ‘thank you’, those of us who love her know Lois does appreciate us.”

Elliot rested his chin on his palm and looked at Lana carefully. He’d gone into this thinking that Lois and Lana were casual friends, mostly connected by their relationships with the two men and with the kids. Only now did he recall the twins remarking on girls’ nights out when Lana joined Lois and her hoydens for an evening on the town. He had assumed Lana was willing to stage an intervention for Clark’s sake, with whom she’d been friends since childhood. But her defense of Lois indicated the two women were actually quite close. And that was fairly unusual for Lois. Most of her friends were tough, trash-talking women like herself. Lana, who had frowned at his use of the word ‘bitch’, didn’t seem to fit that mold.

“I’d be interested to know how you and Lois became such close friends,” Elliot said carefully.

“Why wouldn’t we be?” Lana replied with a trace of sharpness.

Ah, he was on thin ice there. Best to tread as lightly as possible. “You don’t seem much like her usual crowd.”

Elliot got another arch look for that. “How so?”

“I don’t know you all that well, so my guesses are fallible,” he began, “but I’d wager that you don’t indulge in any of the same social vices. You don’t swear, you don’t smoke, you don’t drink – much, anyway, maybe a glass or two of wine. You’re probably the only one in the group who’s seen the inside of a church in the last five years. In short, you’re too virtuous for them.”

Her mouth quirked up slightly. “I’m disappointed in you, Dr. Marrin. Those are all superficial things. What I have in common with Lois is much more fundamental and important.”

“And what’s that?” Elliot asked, genuinely intrigued. He’d never suspected the moralist of the family would be such a staunch supporter of Lois.

She crossed her arms and actually _smirked_ at him. This was getting more fun by the minute. “Shouldn’t you already know? The three main ones are Clark, Richard, and the kids. _All_ of the kids, no matter who gave birth to them. Then you can add an uncompromising dedication to the truth, a desire to do what’s right no matter the cost, and the courage to follow up on both.”

Still cautious with his choice of words, Elliot said, “Some people would say that Clark and Richard, at least, are more cause for conflict than connection.”

“Some people are short-sighted,” Lana replied coolly. “The two of _them_ are friends, so why shouldn’t we be? Just because we’ve been romantically entangled with each other’s husbands in the past? In my case, that was thirty years ago, and Lois knows I’m no threat. In her case … well, I had my moments, but my doctor says pregnant women can legally claim temporary insanity thanks to the hormones. And I got over worrying about _that_ a decade ago.”

“You have absolutely no concerns about Richard and Lois,” Elliot mused.

Lana answered instantly. “None. Oh, I _know_ they’re still attracted to each other. Quite frankly he’s always going to be a little bit nuts about her, and I can understand that. Honestly the way those two are about each other is more amusing than anything else. Neither one of them would ever betray me or Clark. We all know that.”

“And speaking of Clark,” Elliot began, and saw an interesting thing. Lana’s body language went right back to the original red-alert level of tense and secretive she’d been when she walked in the door. That told him that whatever she was hiding so assiduously had to be related to Clark somehow.

There were a few obvious options: Lana might not be as non-threatening to the Lane-Kent marriage as she claimed, she might covet Clark for herself and might even be in denial about it, or she might be hiding something that actually _happened_ of which Lois and Richard were unaware. Her intense loyalty toward Lois might then have been motivated by guilt.

But Elliot’s instincts told him it was more complex than that. This family tended not to have run-of-the-mill problems, and even when they did, the situation was always more complicated than it first appeared. So he put conjecture aside and started probing for answers. “Some people might wonder if you were entirely happy about your childhood best friend – and high school sweetheart – marrying someone else. Isn’t it true that you originally came to Metropolis looking for _Clark_? After his mother told you he was back in the States and single?”

Her eyes narrowed at that. “I wonder who told you that.”

 _Kids parrot what they hear, and they overhear more than their parents realize. I learned that tidbit seven or eight years ago._ “It hardly matters, if it’s untrue.”

Lana sighed in aggravation. “And you probably also know that I don’t lie. Yes, it’s true that I came to Metropolis looking for Clark. He was never my high school sweetheart though – I was his hopeless crush. And when I got older I realized what a fool I’d been to never give him a chance. _However_ , the moment I saw him in the same room with Lois, I knew he’d never be mine.”

“You never wonder what might have been?” Elliot asked as casually as possible, but he could see her hackles going up nonetheless. 

She scoffed dismissively. “Of course I’ve wondered. Clark’s quite a catch. But we can’t change the past, and obsessing over it is pointless. He was my friend first, he’s still my friend, and going to Metropolis in search of him not only brought him back into my life _as a friend_ , I also got Richard … and Lois and the twins. Then I turned around and had Kristin, and after that my life was very nearly perfect. Now if only Luthor would find his way into prison and stay there, I could take the ‘very nearly’ out of that sentence.” The redhead crossed her arms and glared at him.

Elliot sat back, his assumptions blown to smithereens. Lana’s absolute honesty meant she didn’t suffer from denial, and she was clearly very happy with her own marriage. Every time she spoke Richard’s name her lips curved up in a slight, unconscious smile. Elliot was glad to be proved wrong, as it reinforced his original conclusion that whatever secret this family was keeping, it was a positive one.

“In your opinion, then, the Lane-Kents’ marriage is strong enough to continue to stand the test of time?” he asked, stalling while he tried to fit the various pieces of the puzzle together.

“Of course. Then again, you weren’t in the next room when they had their big fight in Nevada. If they came through _that_ and only grew more dedicated to each other, they can survive anything.” Once again she was absolutely certain, not a shred of doubt in her voice.

Grasping at straws, Elliot brought up the one thing that had always seemed, on the surface, like it would eventually cause problems. “Not even Superman?” he asked.

Lana’s fair complexion went even paler. After a barely perceptible hesitation – but he was trained to notice such things – she replied vehemently, “Lois told me you were a bit hung up on him. You thought she left you for him, didn’t you? Well, I have it on very good authority that Superman respects Lois’ marriage, and respects _Clark_ , and to insinuate otherwise is to insult all of them.”

With that she rose from her seat, glancing at the clock. “I believe our time is up, Dr. Marrin. I hope I’ve given you some food for thought.”

After she left, Elliot began to smile. _Food for thought? More like an all-you-can-eat buffet._

 


	6. The Atypical Farmboy

At last, the elusive Clark Kent arrived in Dr. Marrin’s office for his consultation. To Elliot’s surprise, he also turned out to be _more_ uncomfortable than Lois, something that ought to have been impossible. Funny how the one he thought would be the most difficult had turned out much easier than planned – then again, he knew Lois in ways he didn’t know any of the rest of the family.

Clark chose the chair over the couch, as Elliot expected, and greeted him with restrained courtesy. To outward appearances, he seemed calm, no overt displays of anxiety such as fidgeting. But to Elliot’s trained eye, Clark showed the signs of high tension in the line of his shoulders and a dozen other tiny clues.

Actually, once Elliot really studied it, Clark’s body language was quite odd. He had terrible posture, his shoulders slumped, and his stride was hesitant – taken as whole, Clark seemed awkward and diffident. But he was keeping those signs of tension so well repressed that it gave the impression of superb self-control, the opposite of the awkwardness he projected.

As Elliot ran through his standard greetings and simple questions, designed to put the patient at ease, he reflected that Clark _had_ to be a complicated individual. Lois Lane had never been drawn to simplicity – well, except for the primary-colored savior in the sky. But she was madly in love with her husband, with a man everyone described as kind, gentle, unassuming, and a host of other traits Lois had never seemed to look for.

He must’ve paused a moment too long, because Clark spoke up. “I am awfully sorry about my missed appointments, Dr. Marrin,” he said.

“It’s not a problem,” Elliot replied smoothly. “Your daughter was kind enough to fill in last time. Besides, I understand you have other priorities, especially in that instance.”

“Kala told you,” Clark sighed, and to Elliot’s surprise his cheeks actually flushed a bit. Of course, the Smallville contingent of the family _was_ fairly repressed, at least when it came to talking about such things.

“Lois is your wife, by all accounts you love her very much, and you came altogether too close to losing her,” Elliot said in his most level tones. “I would be surprised – and frankly worried – if the pair of you _weren’t_ eager to get back to normal.”

“I’m glad you understand,” Clark said, pushing his glasses up. Weirdly, that wasn’t shyness and relief in his tone. There was something more complex there, and Elliot had a guess what it was.

“Better than most. I enjoyed Lois’ company, when she was mine.” That was as close as flinging down a gauntlet as Elliot dared to go.

Clark sat up straighter, his shoulders went back, and the look in his eyes was anything but timid. “Lois hasn’t been yours for a very long time.”

“Indeed she hasn’t,” Elliot agreed. “Better for both of us, I think. She’s a fascinating woman…”

To his immense surprise, Clark cut him off. “And she doesn’t appreciate being looked at like a bug under a magnifying glass, either.”

Elliot smiled broadly. _I think I’ve discovered the lion who was raised by sheep,_ he thought, remembering an old children’s tale. _All I have to do to find the real measure of the man is talk about his wife._ “I’ve never been very good at turning off my analyst’s perception. Lois was neither the first nor the last case in which it worked to my detriment. Still, I’m glad my insights into her character – regardless of how they were gained – can be useful to help Jason and Kala.”

“You _have_ been a tremendous help with the twins,” Clark admitted, but he wasn’t quite mollified.

Elliot decided to take a slightly different tack. “It’s my pleasure to be able to treat them. So often in this practice, I’m seeing children from broken homes, children who’ve been abused, children traumatized by violence. Kala and Jason, no matter what else happens, know they have a firm foundation of love and support from all four parents. That’s a gift beyond price.”

Clark hesitated a fraction of a moment. “It’s the same gift my parents gave me. How could I not pass it on?”

“If only Lois’ father had seen things the same way,” Elliot mused aloud.

Surprising, Clark didn’t take the bait. “We don’t know what General Lane’s life was like, what led him to make the choices he did. I can’t condemn a man I never met. I _do_ know he was wrong about Lois – and I’ve spent most of my life trying to convince her of that.”

Elliot chuckled. “I spent the better part of two years trying to convince her of the same thing. Not to mention every chance I get these days.”

“It doesn’t seem to have worked,” Clark said, not unkindly.

“Two of her exes, her husband, and her boss-slash-surrogate father haven’t been able to prove Lois’ own worth to her. I suspect she won’t really slay that particular demon until Jason turns to her as a grown man and tells her how proud he is to be her son. And knowing Jason, that day is coming soon.”

“He carried himself like a man in Nevada,” Clark replied. “He’s my son, but I’d be proud to call him my friend if he wasn’t.”

“It’s hard to watch them grow up, though,” Elliot mused.

“Oh, it is. It is. Sometimes it feels like just yesterday he was running around with a trashcan on his head, doing his best Godzilla roar. But it’s not without its joys as well. I’m so very proud of both of them.”

Elliot smiled at the reminder of a younger Jason. Someone had told him he could be anything he wanted when he grew up, and for a while his life’s goal had been to become Godzilla, which led to teasing from his sister that continued up to the present day. “Your pride in both of them is certainly justified. Jason and Kala have been through a lot of things the average child never experiences, but they’re both fortunate enough to have a great deal of resilience. And that comes from the way they were raised.”

“Half the problems they’ve had to deal with were my fault, directly or indirectly,” Clark said, his voice so low he was almost speaking to himself.

“Clark, we all know that lovers and spouses come with baggage. What no one bothers to say aloud is that parents do, too. There’s no child on earth who starts out with a clean slate. We’re all affected by our parents’ histories, shaped by the cycles they’re determined to break as much as the ones they fail to escape. Who our parents are shapes who we are, and in the case of your twins, that’s a good thing. There are moments you regret, burdens you wish you hadn’t passed on, but that happens to all parents. Concentrate on the strengths they acquired instead.”

“They did get a decent mix of the two of us,” Clark admitted.

“That they did. Jason’s steadiness has to come from you; not that Lois is flighty, only that the most constant aspect of her personality is her drive. You couldn’t call her calm or collected.” Elliot watched Clark carefully as he spoke, waiting for another flash of temper.

Instead Clark smiled. “No, but I love that about her. It’s funny; in a lot of ways we have nothing in common, we make no sense whatsoever as a couple, but we do love each other. It’s not an _easy_ marriage, but I don’t think many people get those.”

“From a professional standpoint, I have no evidence that easy marriages exist,” Elliot remarked. “Everyone has to compromise; everyone has issues to work out. I suppose you and Lois prove the old adage about opposites attracting? And that does create difficulties.”

Clark nodded. “It was easy, the first time around. The first time the opportunity just kind of fell into our laps. That’s what ruined it for us, I think. It was _too_ easy. The last ten years we’ve fought for this, in Nevada most of all. And having to fight to be together just makes us appreciate what we have that much more. Lois and I are both very stubborn people, and the more adversity we have to overcome, the stronger it makes our marriage.”

So _that_ was the key trait the couple had in common – tenacity. Which was why Jason especially had it in double-strength. This was an interesting conversational path to pursue, for several reasons. Without looking as though he’d given any real thought to it, Elliot mused, “Several philosophers have held the opinion that strife is necessary to social functioning. Perhaps you and Lois prove the point, if your relationship is _better_ now that the two of you have more obstacles to overcome. Truthfully, though, have you ever wished it was easier?”

“Of course I have.” Clark shrugged. “In the middle of an argument, when we both think the other one’s being totally unreasonable, I think both of us have wished this marriage wasn’t difficult. But you know, if I wanted something easier and more comfortable, I’d have taken my mother’s unsubtle hints and married Lana.”

That made Elliot raise his eyebrows slightly, and he was generally in control of his facial expressions while patients were in the room. “Hmm. So you think your life would be easier if you were with Lana?”

Clark seemed utterly unaware that this idea could be surprising. “Of course it would. We’ve known each other since we were three years old. We had the same small-town upbringing. And even though our lives have taken us very different places since we grew up, we still have a great deal in common. I’d argue with her less, if only because Lana prefers subtle manipulation to arguing, and either way everyone winds up doing what she wants them to. The thing is, I don’t think either of us would be as happy with each other as we are with Lois and Richard.”

Elliot leaned forward with an encouraging expression, and Clark elaborated willingly. “One of the things Lana and I have in common is a typical Midwestern work ethic. We value things more if we have to strive for them. She had to overcome some serious reservations and really go out on a limb for Richard; I had to fight for Lois in more than one sense of the word. So we’re both happy in our marriages, and we get all the benefits of having each other around as friends. Lana _is_ a very good person to know, and she’s told me in no uncertain terms that she’ll never let me and Lois mess things up quite so badly again.”

“She said as much to me, also. I’m a bit surprised you welcome even well-intentioned meddling,” Elliot replied.

Clark just shrugged. He was getting much more relaxed as they went on, which was rather odd considering they were discussing the woman he’d once been in love with and who was now married to his wife’s ex-fiancé. “I’m smart enough to know that sometimes I need a swift kick in the rear, just like anyone else. And Lana and Richard are both willing to step in and do that. They see things Lois and I don’t, and I appreciate it.”

It was very strange how the things Elliot expected to produce tension just _didn’t_ , while Clark was undeniably tense about _something_. He might as well see if that held true for other topics. “Speaking of Richard, I understand you two are friends. Quite an unusual situation.”

“Not to me it isn’t. Richard and I have a lot in common, including our taste in women. And the things we don’t have in common are things I need in my life. For instance, Richard can find the humor in any situation, while I tend to be too serious at times.” Clark’s voice was matter-of-fact, and he smiled slightly at the example he’d drawn. No, he wasn’t worried about Richard at all.

“It doesn’t bother you that he and Lois were engaged – or that they’re still quite clearly attracted to each other?” He added that last in a deliberate attempt to rattle Clark. Elliot himself wasn’t a particularly jealous person, but possessiveness was a common personality trait, and he’d known very few men who could become friends with their wives’ exes. It wasn’t impossible, just unusual.

To his very great surprise, Clark laughed, an easy laugh free of anything resembling nervous tension. “Dr. Marrin, if I was threatened by everyone who’s attracted to Lois, I’d have to move to a private island to feel safe. She’s absolutely mesmerizing, and that’s not my bias as her husband talking – you know it, too. No, Lois and Richard are still drawn to each other, but they have a lot in common, and they have fun together. They’re the ones taking the kids on the roller coasters when we go to theme parks. Besides, although I had a moment of uncertainty recently, Lois and I are back to communicating like we should, and I _know_ beyond a shadow of a doubt that she’ll never leave me. We’re in this together, ‘til death do us part.”

There was only one more possible source of conflict. “And Superman?” Elliot asked, keeping his voice casual.

Clark straightened slightly, his chin coming up. Oh, he’d heard _that_ one a time or two. “Dr. Marrin, I’ll tell you the same thing I’ve told everyone else who asked that. If I didn’t _trust_ Lois, I wouldn’t have _married_ her in the first place.”

“But you _have_ had trouble trusting her,” Elliot pointed out. “She keeps secrets, and she’s terrible at letting you know what she needs. Being with her, you have to figure out what she’s _not_ asking to get around to what’s really going on, and that gets difficult, especially for someone as forthright and open as yourself. So my question is valid.”

Shaking his head, Clark replied, “You don’t know Superman, or Lois, if you think either of them would go behind my back and have an affair. Yes, all right, I happen to know her relationship with him was a bit more than strictly professional, but I also know it’s _nothing_ like public opinion thinks. He is a friend of the family and my children’s godfather. I’ve trusted him with Lois’ _life_. So I have absolutely no worries about him trying to take her away from me.”

That rang true, yet another example of the weird skew to the family’s reactions. No one was worried about the cape flapping in the breeze above Lois’ head, in spite of the fact that any woman could be forgiven for looking up wistfully. He was _Superman_ , after all, and Lois herself had given him that name.

“Hmm. Interesting,” was all Elliot would say, deciding to ruminate on the family’s secret later. Several possibilities were beginning to gel in his mind, but he wasn’t ready to choose a firm hypothesis yet. The possibility existed that he would never be able to figure it out, but he didn’t mind that. His job was to get them all working together again, and now that he was certain the secret wasn’t some kind of covert affair, he could get on with it. “Our allotted hour is almost over, and I’d like to leave you with some advice, if I may.”

“I would appreciate it,” Clark said.

Elliot leaned his elbows on the table and looked the younger man steadily in the eye. “We both know that Lois considers asking for something – other than lunch – an admission of weakness. I’m afraid that means the burden of relationship maintenance is going to fall to you.”

“I’m aware of her quirks. I wish she had an easier time recognizing her own strengths, but I married her as she is and I’ll love her until the end of time even if she never changes.” Ah yes, this was certainly where Jason got his steadfastness.

Time to drop a bomb. “The biggest problem in your marriage right now is that Lois doesn’t think she’s good enough for you.”

Clark scoffed. “That’s ridiculous!”

“It’s true. She loves you like nothing else on earth except the twins, but in her heart of hearts she doesn’t feel worthy of you. Or them, or her position, or her friends. Lois doubts herself, and she hides that from everyone. The only reason I even know it’s there is because I knew her when she was younger and had less experience keeping up a façade. _You_ know she’s more than good enough – in my session with Lana the other day, I made a guess that you thought _you_ were the lucky one.”

“I am. You have no idea what Lois means to me. She can’t think…”

Elliot cut him off. “She can. Her doubt isn’t rational, Clark. These kinds of deep fears that come from childhood never are. It doesn’t help that she’s lost her mother, the first and for a long time the _only_ person who loved and accepted her completely. In her mind, she knows your marriage is strong and that the two of you complement each other. In her heart, she’s afraid. You have to soothe that fear without making it obvious that you know her weakness.”

“I’m hoping you have some specific ideas on how to do that,” Clark said, looking abashed. “I’ve done some foolish things, trying to help. That’s kind of a theme with my life. I tried to spare her the burden of dealing with my stress, because she was so close to breaking after Ella passed, and by doing that I stopped talking to her and made her wonder who I was unburdening myself to.”

Something clicked for Elliot. Clark’s central fear was inadvertently hurting the people he loved. “Fortunately she found out that your confidant was someone she trusted implicitly. My guess would be Lana, since she is the self-declared counselor of the family, but I digress. As for specific suggestions, just one: take fifteen minutes out of every day and spend it showing her how much she means to you.”

Clark looked startled. “I’m sure I spend more than fifteen minutes…”

Elliot interrupted again. “This is different. This is in addition to all the things you normally do. You can’t _tell_ her, she works with words for a living and so do you. _Show_ her that she matters. Lois won’t admit it, but she likes gifts almost as much as she likes physical affection. So the stereotypical chocolates and flowers would actually work, even if she complains about the cliché. A foot-rub or a long cuddle on the couch would also be a good idea. Never let it become routine, though, and never look on it as a chore. You’re just reminding her every single day that her father was wrong and you are right: she is an amazing woman, a wonderful mother, a fantastic wife, and she deserves every ounce of joy that comes her way.”

At that, Clark smiled slowly. “And maybe in five or ten years, she’ll believe me. I think you’re right, and that would never be a chore. It sounds like fun, actually, figuring out little ways to surprise her over and over again.”

Elliot grinned at him as they both stood up and shook hands. He’d never really had any doubts that Lois and Clark would work out their difficulties, especially not after everything he’d heard from the kids following the incident in Nevada. Hopefully, with Lois forced to deal with physical vulnerability and Clark bolstering her self confidence – and in the process working on his own tendency to do what he thought was best without consulting anyone else – they would make some real progress.

That would leave him to work on the remaining mysteries. Just what was this family trying so hard to hide from him? And what was going on with Clark, who certainly wasn’t what he seemed on the surface?

 


	7. Doctor's Notes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Authors' Note:** Dr. Elliot Marrin never uses full names in his private notes, preferring abbreviations in an effort to conceal his patients’ identities. His codes have been decrypted here for your convenience.

**Lois**

 

In some people, age deepens their neuroses, makes them ever more uncompromising in their defenses. Fortunately Lois isn’t one of those. Age, motherhood, and marriage have brought out a side of her I barely knew was there when she was young. For the first time, I can truly see a way out of the endless cycle she’s been locked in for her entire life.

She’s always been a neurotic mess, but a highly functional neurotic mess. Lois’ particular blend of quirks and vulnerabilities leaves her fiercely focused on achieving success in whatever she attempts, and she’s fortunate to have largely attained that. Of course, then she has arrogance in her own accomplishments resting uneasily atop insecurity, but the imbalance is what drives her.

Caught between defiance of her father’s authority and trying to live up to his expectations, Lois was rarely happy in her youth – unless she was chasing a story. Now, though, I’m beginning to see contentment in her. She still needs some reassurance about her abilities as a parent and about her status as a wife, but time will finally wear that away, I think.

When I spoke with Lois, I hadn’t yet heard both sides of the issues between her and Clark. I’ll need to bring her in again so I can give her some work to do. I’ve already assigned him his homework, and he’s the type to follow it diligently. Lois needs to make an effort to draw him out, to overcome her fears of showing weakness and actually _tell_ the man what she needs from him.

She also needs to give up keeping secrets from him, something she claims to have done. I suspect she’ll need some maintenance in that regard. It’s Lois’ nature to hide things, whether she’s cherishing forbidden knowledge or sitting on an exclusive story to keep other reporters from breaking it first. Her curiosity has always been one of her defining traits, but she’s never really trusted others – even the people she loves most – with her secrets.

The secret she’s keeping from me is something she _really_ doesn’t want me to know. It makes her practically ill to think I might discover it. I’m not sure if that’s just another trust issue, or if it has something to do with our former relationship. Strangely enough, I’m also sure it’s something she has no moral or ethical qualms about. Such a secret would weigh on her much more heavily. This isn’t that kind of burden, though it is terribly important to her. I suspect it has something to do with the incident she was especially cagey about, where “someone” thought she couldn’t keep a secret and made decisions that affected everyone.

If Lois thinks I don’t realize the “someone” in that statement is Superman, she’s seriously underestimating me. Only he causes that amount of nervousness in her, and only he would be described as “damn near perfect”. Still, I understand why Lois wouldn’t want to say anything, even in an unrecorded session.

 

**Richard**

 

The family comedian may be the least neurotic and in need of analysis. He’s quite self-aware and views everything through a lens of good humor, perhaps because he knows how lucky he is. Of course, no one is perfectly normal or completely sane, since those values are averages and people are individuals, but Richard comes fairly close. He is certainly the least stressed person in the group.

It intrigues me that he gave Lois up when he so clearly loved her – and still loves her. Richard made a choice many people don’t, to act in the best interest of others before himself. It shows a sense of honor that, along with his straightforward personality, I’ve come to associate with ex-military people. Lois is much the same way, even though she’s never served. I suspect another feature of that ‘military character’ is the way both Lois and Richard prefer to work on fixing something rather than complaining about it. And in Richard’s case, if he can’t fix it, he’ll make a joke about it.

Out of the entire family, including the twins who have been in therapy for a decade now, Richard was the most relaxed about it. While he _does_ have something to hide – all of them do – it’s not something that stresses him. He doesn’t find it shameful, and I get the sense that it’s probably something that he’d be proud to announce. Whatever this secret is, it’s affecting the rest of the family, and he’s keeping silent out of loyalty.

His inability to discuss specific problems between Lois and Clark speaks to that loyalty as well. Richard is a man who loves his friends and family deeply, unconditionally, and unendingly. He speaks highly of Clark, clearly admires him, and likely would have no problem saying something like, ‘Of course I love the guy, who wouldn’t?’ His attitude toward Lois is a little more familiar, more willing to admit her flaws and tease her, but they were lovers and have never lost that flirtatious spark or the intimacy they had.

One of the things that impresses me about Richard is how well-adjusted he turned out to be, given his parents’ issues. If what he says about his family life is true – and I have no reason to doubt his account – then he is one of the lucky people who learn what _not_ to do, instead of repeating their parents’ mistakes. He didn’t outright dismiss the possibility of conflict in his own marriage, as I’d expect from someone in denial, but instead spoke of their strengths in compromise and resolution. That focus on relationship maintenance and interpersonal communication makes him an excellent role model for the children.

Most people I know could benefit from some counseling. We all have challenges to face. Richard is one of the very few who are probably better off not being analyzed. He has effectively neutralized the aspects of his past that are harmful, and most therapists I know would want to revisit the issues with his parents in detail. To me it sounds like he’s made his peace with that and moved on from it, and progress is better than circling back around to old issues. Not that most people – Lois for example – don’t need to revisit the past and lay it to rest. Richard just isn’t one of them.

 

**Jason**

 

I always knew this one would present me with some challenges. There’s always been _something_ about the boy, some extra dimension I was never privy to, and to which he simply never allowed me access. That has been extremely frustrating, like trying to rearrange furniture while all of it is still draped. I know the general shape of what he’s protecting by the space it occupies, but I have no idea what it looks like or how it will fit with the rest of the ‘room’ that is his psyche.

Hmm. A nice simile, that. Must save it for future use.

He’s not a ticking time bomb of psychosis, I know that much. There’s nothing drastically wrong with Jason. His deviations from the norm tend to fall in directions that the rest of society generally approves of, at least until they have to deal with it on a regular basis. Jason is more serious, more responsible, more considerate, and all around more mature than his peers.

…I was going to write, “Luckily for him he has a twin sister to help him with spontaneity, living in the moment, and having fun.” But then I began to wonder if Kala isn’t part of the reason _why_ Jason is who he is. According to Lois, they had distinct personalities from the moment they were born, and Jason has always been the calmer, quieter twin. Perhaps, though, in the inevitable process of developing their separate identities, Jason and Kala have both moved further into opposing roles as they grow. Said opposition then drives them to connect further with each other, balancing out the same extremes of temperament that the differentiating process created. It’s an interesting exercise to wonder what both twins would be like if they’d been born singly.

Having known Jason for a decade, I cannot imagine him without the protectiveness of an older sibling – never mind that he’s older by a span of minutes, in his own mind he is Kala’s big brother and always will be. That’s a large part of why he chooses to define himself by his devotion to others. I expected him to go into a service profession – doctor, firefighter, something like that – but he plans to pursue science instead. I’m sure he sees that career choice as another way to benefit humanity as a whole, and I’m not surprised that his goals are so lofty.

Regarding Elise, Jason’s devotion to her is sincere. He’s not simply trying to mimic his parent’s relationship; he is unusually mature for his age and he may even be ready for the marriage he claims to want. It wasn’t so long ago that most teenagers were married and having children; adolescence as we know it is a fairly modern phenomenon. Without meeting her, I can’t say if he’ll be successful, but the rest of the family approves of Elise and welcomes her. She’ll never have in-law troubles, and that’s a major source of conflict gone.

Whatever the family’s secret is, Jason knows it, and he will never give me even the slightest hint about it. Something that happened in Nevada had a lot to do with it, but it’s deeper than that. From our very first session discussing the events aboard Luthor’s yacht, Jason has kept things from me. All I can tell from him is that it’s something about his family, something he’s proud of but afraid for the world to know.

 

**Kala**

 

It takes monumental hubris to write ‘rock star’ in the box marked ‘career plans’ on a guidance counselor’s forms, but Kala has that much confidence in her talent and in her ability to make her dreams come true. She’s always been a curious mix of arrogance and insecurity, much like her mother, though for different reasons.

Lois may have already realized that she’s passed on some of her own troubles, and if so, she hates it. I know she never wanted Kala to doubt herself the way Lois always has. But Lois and Kala are not a rerun of Sam and Lois. For one thing, Kala is utterly certain of her mother’s love and acceptance – now, anyway, that Lois almost died trying to save her in Nevada. A harsh cure, but an effective one.

No, Kala only has the problem of trying to live up to _all_ of her parents’ images. Lois is a trailblazer in a traditionally male field, a Pulitzer-prize-winning reporter of international renown. Clark is a paragon of another order, a reporter just as good as Lois, but his strength is that he embodies the simple virtues of another time: chivalry, kindness, patience, courage, loyalty. Richard is a globe-trotting pilot and yet another fine reporter, and he has a wealth of experience and sophistication. Lana is an extremely successful millionaire who hasn’t let money corrupt her. Somehow Kala has to become someone who doesn’t disappoint any of them, and that’s a tall order.

Personally, I think she’ll be successful. Many young people in the entertainment industry get swept up in the parties and drugs that come with fame, but Kala has the integrity to resist all that. And she’s told me she intends to use the celebrity status she could gain for a nobler purpose, hopefully getting involved with political lobbying as well as grass-roots efforts to educate people on things like the importance of recycling. A very unusual choice, for a child of any other family.

Kala’s attitude toward boys – or more correctly, men – reflects her varied and conflicting influences about what relationships should be. Lois is deeply secular and has had several lovers; Richard was quite promiscuous in his youth; while Lana and Clark have tried to conform to traditional small town virtues with varying degrees of success. Then, too, Kala has two loving fathers, but both of them are above average men, and then she also has her brother. Sebast figures in there, too, as another example of unattainable perfection. Almost any boy she meets will not compare favorably with those role models. At least she doesn’t have Lois’ fears of showing vulnerability and half-antagonistic relationship with the male half of the species. On the whole I think she’s as capable of healthy relationships as her brother, but she’s more ambivalent about them and will take longer to settle down.

As to the family secret, which I can’t seem to leave alone even though I know it’s beneficial to them, Kala certainly knows it. She’s quite proud of it, too, but unwilling to discuss it, and she shows more discretion than is customary for her. Often in our sessions, Kala will talk around something so much that I can figure it out, but she hasn’t done that with this secret. I do get the feeling that it’s something the twins have known for a long time and internalized, become accustomed to, a bit better than their parents.

 

**Lana**

 

The designer surprised me the most of everyone in the family. I admit I’d been thinking of her as a sweet small-town girl who lucked out, dismissing her as the mildest member of the family. I was thoroughly shocked to discover she’s the most insightful – and manipulative. It’s a different kind of intelligence than Lois’ cunning, largely because Lana takes her time to come to conclusions while Lois operates on the fly, but she’s just as smart.

The entire family is fortunate that Lois and Lana chose to become friends, and I suspect a lot of that is Lana’s doing. The two women had many reasons to become bitter rivals, and Lois has never been very good at getting along with other women. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that Lana was the one who decided they’d have to be friends in order for the extended family to get along the way they do, and that she then set about coaxing Lois into accepting her. It’s much more like Lois to see her as a threat, and Lois has never tolerated threats. By the time Lana had her own misstep – pregnancy hormones do tend to play havoc with women’s emotions – Lois was already a firm ally.

Lana is the one I’d like to get back into my office. She has a keen perspective on the family, she’s evidently privy to all of Lois and Clark’s secrets, and she’s somehow managed to turn out level-headed in spite of everything that’s happened in her life. The woman went from small-town housewife to millionaire without losing sight of who she is and without compromising her principles; I admire that.

Sadly, I’m fairly certain Lana won’t be coming back. She’s right; the problems within the family are progressing toward resolution, and whatever the secret they’re keeping actually is, she’s afraid of letting it slip somehow. Lana speaks of this secret – and she was the only one to actually say something about it – as if it’s a sacred trust. It’s not something that goes against her principles, but it is something that she’d be horrified to let an outsider know. Which is fairly interesting.

I’d already established that whatever this secret is, it’s inclusive – it brings the family together. It may even be integral to the bonds of friendship that allow the Whites and Lane-Kents to operate as one family instead of the more common quarreling-step-families model.

The clues are, as always, in the relationships. Lana loves her husband, and the pair of them dote on each other. But she’s also surprisingly loyal to _Lois_ , and extremely defensive of Clark. And then the twins, to whom she’s as devoted as her biological daughter. The connections there are much deeper than mere friendship. I’m still mulling over her last remark about Superman, however. She spoke almost as if she knew him personally.

 

**Clark**

 

Most people are fairly easy to read. For ten years I thought I had a good read on Clark, based on our momentary meetings when he picked up or dropped off the twins. But he turned out to be a cipher from the moment he walked into the treatment room. Take a cursory glance at him, and he’s the kind of man you wouldn’t expect Lois to look twice at. The dashing pilot seems a much more logical choice, considering that Lois has never been attracted to gentle, humble, courteous men like Clark. Fierce Lois with the shy wallflower? It seems ridiculous.

But Clark isn’t what he seems. I doubt he’s actually shy; the diffident air seems calculated to put people at ease and make him seem nonthreatening. He is a very big man, broad-shouldered, and if he carried himself more forcefully – say, with Richard’s cockiness – he’d be almost overpowering. I certainly caught a flash or two of much stronger character than his outward appearance projects.

Jason is the best evidence of his real character. He learned how to be a man from both Clark and Richard, and his intensity must come from Clark since Richard is far more casual. The dedication to service likely also comes from Clark. In fact, Clark has stated that he sees a lot of himself in his son, so much of my remarks about Jason should also apply to Clark.

Why, then is Clark intentionally misrepresenting who he is? I’m not so easily misled. He isn’t the quintessential fool; there’s a level of sophistication in his misdirection that speaks of keen intelligence. And of course he has to have drive and determination to match Lois’, or she’d steamroll him. He isn’t cowed by her; he adores and admires her, even enjoys her quirks, and he’s extremely protective of her. I’ve seen nothing to indicate that he backs down from her.

Backs away, maybe. Clark is gracious – the humble, patient, kind, courteous part of his image is true. He just ramps up the self-effacement to extremes. A genuinely good man is what he is, at heart, and for all of Lois’ fascination with difficult men (I’m counting myself in that category), not even she can resist the attraction of a truly noble spirit.

I have the sense that he’s keeping the most secrets. In fact, I think the entire family secret somehow revolves around him. If Clark is not what he seems, then the mystery begins to make sense. That line of thought, however, is one I won’t commit to print, not even in my private notes. In fact, I’m not even going to think about it any further.

 

**Post-Script**

 

Rereading my notes, I realized I closed the file after Clark but without developing an alternate theory. If I’m not going to pursue my original suspicion, I have to find some other explanation for the secrecy. So let’s review: it can’t be anything that violates anyone’s principles. It’s something that Lois doesn’t want _me_ to know especially. It’s something that the traditional moralists, Lana and Clark, are the most worked up about. It’s something that Richard is proud of but keeps secret for the others’ sake. And it’s something the kids know about but which they’re so used to that it’s just part of their lives now. 

One possible explanation that accounts for everyone’s attitudes toward this secret, and also makes sense for how they’ve made this blended family of very different worldviews work as a cohesive whole, is that the two couples are cross-involved at a level well beyond friendship. It would also explain how powerful the loyalties are. If this were true, then Lana and Clark’s casual discussions of what might have been, and Lois and Richard’s continued attraction, would also be explained.

I can’t wait to see the look on Lois’ face when I tell her I’ve figured out her secret. It will be interesting to see if she’s relieved or horrified – or both – when I outline my suspicions.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **End note:** Since we've gotten some questions on this before, but Elliot wouldn't explicate it in his notes, let's just take a moment to say that no, Elliot does not actually believe this family is operating as an OT4. He's effectively figured out that Clark is much more than he seems, but he won't let himself think on the full ramifications of that. Some family secrets are best kept by family.


End file.
